Amazon takes delivery of freighter, tribute to veterans

eCommerce giant Amazon has taken delivery of the twentieth and final freighter from Atlas as part of its deal to operate a dedicated fleet for the company.

The Boeing 767-300 converted freighter enters Amazon’s Prime Air domestic network ahead of the peak holiday season to serve its growing customer demand.

With this delivery, Amazon completes its freighter network of 40 aircraft, 20 from Atlas and 20 from ATSG.

As a tribute to Amazon’s military community, the aircraft was named Valor in a ceremony on Veterans Day at Long Beach Airport in California. A cheering crowd, including more than 100 Amazon veterans and military spouses, was present to witness Bezos pulling down a banner from over the plane’s nose, revealing the name.

In a tweet, Bezos, who employed over 18,000 ex soldiers and their spouses, said the name pays tribute to “the thousands of Amazonian veterans and military spouses delivering for our customers every day.”

Atlas Air Worldwide’s airline subsidiary, Atlas Air, Inc., operates the aircraft for Amazon on a CMI (crew, maintenance and insurance) basis and its leasing unit, Titan Aviation, dry leases the aircraft to Amazon.

In a press release from Atlas, William J. Flynn, President and Chief Executive Officer said “our delivery of 20 aircraft to Amazon over the last 28 months is a significant achievement. It is an accomplishment that we are very proud of and for which our employees worked hard. We appreciate Amazon’s confidence in our capabilities, global scale and operating excellence.”

Mr. Flynn continued, “E-commerce is the fastest growing air cargo segment, and we are excited to continue our partnership with Amazon as it delivers innovative service to its customers.”

Under long-term commercial agreements announced in 2016, Atlas Air Worldwide’s airline subsidiary, Atlas Air, Inc., operates the aircraft for Amazon on a CMI (crew, maintenance and insurance) basis and its leasing unit, Titan Aviation, dry leases the aircraft to Amazon.

Amazon is in the process of constructing a $1.5B international Amazon Air hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. When completed, the new facility will have three million square feet of buildings and a ramp to accommodate at least 100 aircraft.